The present invention relates to shelf hooks for displaying merchandise and more particularly to a method and apparatus for loading merchandise onto shelf hooks.
Shelf hooks, of the type normally used to display products or merchandise on store racks, are a popular means of storing multiple articles in a relatively small space and in a manner that allows purchasers to readily access a product without having to move or disturb other products or the display arrangement itself.
At present, there are a variety of shelf hooks used for displaying articles but most share common characteristics of having a horizontally disposed rod attached at one end to a vertical support surface or wall, with the other end of the rod projecting outward to receive the displayed products. Articles to be displayed are typically loaded onto this outward end of the shelf hook and then pushed along the shelf hook rod toward the support wall in order to make room for loading of additional merchandise.
In order to help retain articles on the shelf hook, the outward end of the rod often includes a bend directed in an upward, outward angle. While presumably adequate for its intended function, this bend or hook often complicates loading the shelf hook with merchandise. Threading the shelf hook through multiple product tags can be cumbersome because the bend at the end of the rod tends to catch or snag on individual tags. Often, merchandise is simply loaded one unit at a time to overcome this difficulty. In addition, when removing shipping packaging to access merchandise for loading, individual units often become disarrayed and are not packaged in a way that lends itself to rapid loading of multiple units on a shelf hook.
Therefore, there exists a need for a method and apparatus for loading multiple products onto a shelf hook in an easy and rapid fashion, preferably using a device capable of being incorporated into the product packaging prior to shipping to the display destination.
A shelf hook loading tool in accordance with the present invention providing an elongated, tubular body adapted to receive a product or products for loading onto a shelf hook. The device includes a head portion, a mounting member facilitating the insertion of the device onto a shelf hook, and a rear portion extending angularly from the head portion. A tail member is attached to the device, preferably near the terminus of the rear portion and is adapted to be selectively secured to and removed from the head portion. The head portion can include a means, such as a tab or slit(s), for attaching the tail member to the head position.
The following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, sets forth by way of illustration and example, a now preferred embodiment of this invention, among others.